NeurologicalExamination

The neurological examination includes a standard physical exam assessing areas such as strength, sensation, reflexes, hearing and vision, and will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. With your permission, a blood sample will be drawn from a vein in the arm by a hospital lab technician. This will be used to provide genetic data that may be related to brain health. Also, with your permission, the neurologist will take a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (the liquid that bathes the brain and spinal cord). Cerebrospinal fluid will be drawn from the lower back in a procedure known as a lumbar puncture (“spinal tap”; see video). The cerebrospinal fluid sample provides information on proteins in the brain that are associated with brain function and dysfunction. These procedures are not painful and have no significant risks associated with them. These samples will be analyzed for genes and proteins that may relate to brain functioning.